


Stay

by TheKnightGarden



Series: Fictober 2019 [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Comfort, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-15 10:06:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20864447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheKnightGarden/pseuds/TheKnightGarden
Summary: Tagai noticed that Oina wasn't at dinner with everybody else, so he decides to visit her to see how she is.





	Stay

Dinner came and went. It was a pretty boring dinner, if Tagai was honest. Most people talked about what was going on in the mortal world. It wasn’t that the mortal world bore him, but it wasn’t time for spring to arrive to grace them with new flowers. What he did notice was that Oina wasn’t at dinner tonight. Usually she was there with the other big five. He wondered if something happened. He looked around the area to make sure that he wasn’t being followed and carefully slipped by towards the door where the underworld was. He wasn’t supposed to be down there, but he didn’t care at this point. He wanted to make sure that Oina was okay.

Then again, Nudari could also look after her, too, but Tagai was already on his way down anyway.

He passed by Lialid, with the lioness’s head looking almost sad. The jaguar and tigress heads were comforting the lioness head as best as they could. Something was troubling the three headed kitten and he was about to find out what. He found his way towards the hallway of doors. Tagai just needed to remember which door was hers again.

“Tagai? What are you doing here?” he heard a familiar voice ask.

He turned around and saw Dero walking by him. Her eyes look a little more glassy than he remembered.

“I’m looking for Oina. She wasn’t there for dinner, so I thought I would check up on her,” Tagai answered.

“That is very sweet of you- I detect sadness coming your way. So much blood and tears. I would stay clear of the main door if I could- I’m sure Oina would appreciate you seeing her,” Dero said. She turned around and began to make her way to a door at the far end of the hallway.

Tagai liked talking to Dero, but he noted that her prophecies always had something that would end him. He mentally shook his thoughts and started opening doors to figure out which one was Oina’s room. It didn’t take too long. The first door he opened, he saw Oina sitting on her bed hunched over. If he wasn’t mistaken, he could hear her crying.

“Oina?” Tagai softly called out.

Oina looked over her shoulder and immediately stood up.

_ Tagai! I-I didn’t expect to see you. _

“You were missed at dinner. Everybody was worried about you,” he explained.

_ Usually, if I’m missing from dinner, people don’t try to look for me. And yet- _

“I wanted to make sure you were okay. Celino was worried about you, and you know how she is.”

_ Yes, that’s true. It’s nothing, I promise. _

“You were crying. Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked her.

_ Memories.  _ She didn’t look particularly happy about them.  _ When the world was first created, Nudari and I- _

“I know the stories. But why are you sad about them? Didn’t Mother help?”

Oina stared at him.  _ You don’t know the full stories, do you? _

“Obviously not, since you seemed a bit surprised.”

She hesitated a little. She reached for her choker necklace and undid the clasp. When she took it off, a deep red scar ran across her throat. Tagai was told that Oina had a bit of an accident, but he didn’t think it would be that. He was about to run his fingers along the scar, but hesitated. He wasn’t sure if she would be okay with that.

_ When the world started, Mother was not keen about us creating things. I spoke up against her, and as a punishment, I lost my voice. She promised me she would return it when she believes I’ve learned my lesson, but I don't think I will. I still have nightmares about it at times. It’s one of those days, I guess. _

“I’m surprised Nudari hasn’t come up here to check on you,” Tagai said.

_ He knows to respect my privacy. You, on the other hand- _

The red flare of a blush began to creep up on his cheeks. “Right, sorry about that. I should- the other seasons are probably- yeah I’ll just-”

He heard something that seemed to resemble a giggle. He looked at Oina and saw a smile creeping up on her face, with her hand covering it.

_ It’s fine. It mostly caught me by surprise, that’s all. _

“I think I should still go. I’ll leave you to whatever it was you were doing. I’ll see you tomorrow at the first sunrise,” Tagai said. 

He turned his back to her and began to leave her room, until he felt a soft touch against his arm. He looked down and saw Oina holding his arm. She almost looked scared.

_ Can you… Can you stay? For today? I don’t wish to be alone for now. _

“Are you sure? I don’t wish to make you comfortable,” Tagai questioned.

_ I’m sure. Just until I fall asleep, that is. _

Tagai saw a tear coming down Oina’s eye. He gently wiped the tear away from her tanned face and froze. She was looking up at him, almost hoping for something. He could feel something tighten in his chest, but he wasn’t sure what that was.

“Right, do you want me to sleep on the couch or-?”

_ You can sleep with me on my bed. My couch is awfully uncomfortable and I would feel terrible if I made you sleep in it. _

“I don’t want to impose. I figured-”

_ If I say you can sleep in my bed with me, then I say it’s fine. Besides, I need something to hold right now. _

Tagai let out a sigh, but finally agreed. He took off his shoes and socks, along with his jacket and tie. He slipped into bed, with Oina resting just beside him. He curled up on his bed and stared at her face. He noted small freckles along her nose and specks of gray in her brown eyes. He was surprised that he was even this close.

“Are you comfortable?” he asked her. 

_ I am. Are you? _

“A bit. I think if we talk about something, maybe this won’t be so uncomfortable,” he suggested.

_ What do you wish to talk about? _

He has so many questions, but one question did stand out from the rest.

“Were you lonely when you and your brother created the world? What happened to your parents?” Tagai asked her.

_ Did you even read about my birth, or did you skim? _

“There wasn’t much information about it. All it said was that Mother found you and Nudari in the woods as babes and she cared for you.”

_ Typical. _ She almost sounded angry.  _ My mother is the goddess of the sky, and my father was the god of the earth. We were born from their love, but Mother saw it as a betrayal, so she separated them. I visit them every once in a while and they exchange letters through my brother and I. Mother took us and renamed us. I don’t remember my original name, and neither does Nudari. Was I lonely? Sometimes. I had my three companions with me, until Mother thought it best to destroy them. As a gift, my brother merged them and gave her to me as a gift. _

“Is that where Lialid came from? By the way, she was very sad when I passed her by. She didn’t even give me an affectionate headbutt,” Tagai said. He was trying to make heart of the situation.

_ I should give them some treats when I see them tomorrow. They were probably worried about their mother.  _

“You were one of the originals, yes? Why didn’t they make you queen instead of Aural? Or make Nudari the king?”

_ I didn’t want it. I thought the position too much. When Aural came to the pantheon and became the goddess of harvest, I appointed her as queen. Mother wasn’t happy about my decision, but I knew Aural would make a better ruler than us. Enough about me, what about you? _

“What about me?” Tagai asked.

_ How do you like your position as the god of spring? I know there’s a lot of weight to carry with the title, but you must like it. _

“I don’t know. I haven’t been down to the mortal world yet. It’s not my turn yet. Next season, after Yene. Until then, I’m practicing with Aural to create flowers and help the trees start harvesting. Today, she taught me about which flowers need to bloom where, since it could mess up the ecosystem and the environment. If I placed flowers and make the wrong trees bloom when they’re not supposed to, it could really mess up the order. Did you know-”

Tagai finally looked at Oina and saw her already asleep. He smiled softly and curled up next to her, already fast asleep.


End file.
